Each year, like clockwork, we'll be out for a walk and run across a Woolly Bear Caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella) and Faith will say something about it predicting the severity of winter.
Of course neither of us know what to look for nor have we accumulated any empirical data to support this thesis. I'd been guessing that it might have something to do with the length of caterpillar "hair." You know, to insulate against the cold.
Imagine our surprise and worry for the coming Winter when we ran across this Woolly Mammoth Caterpillar on our hike in the White Mountains.
I'm guessing that this isn't a Woolly Bear Caterpillar. Any caterpillar experts out there who can educate us?
BTW, it turns out the width of the orange band is the winter worry indicator. Narrower orange band signals a harsh winter, and a wide orange band means mild. I don't think this counts.
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